Cleaning means for guide bushings

ABSTRACT

In abstract, a preferred embodiment of this invention is a fibrous material inserted in a vertical opening of a guide bushing used on a wire-feeding machine to clean the wire before it enters an associated automatic welding device.

United States Patent 1 [in 3,604,039

[72] Inventor lhlF.Aldridge 1,497,125 6/1924 Sorrells 15/2l0B Raleigh, N.C. 1,493,506 1924 Sussman 15/102 [21] Appl. No. 860,609 1,714,346 5/1929 Carleton... 15/210 B [22] Filed Sept. 24,1969 1,815,238 7/1931 Cherry l5/102 [45] Patented Sept. 14, 1971 1,815,238 7/1931 Cherry 15/102 [73] Assignee Aeroglide Corp. 1,910,956 5/1933 Boutillier.. 15/102 Raleigh, NC. 2,177,] 15 1939 Olsen l5/256.6 2,627,010 l/1953 Matteson, Jr. et al. 228/22 3,273,190 9/1966 McClemens /256.6 1 1 CLEANING MEANS FOR GUIDE BUSHINGS 3,445,285 5/1969 Nast et al 15 102 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

Primary Examiner-Walter A. Scheel [52] US. Cl 15/102, Assistant Examiner Leon G. Machlin 242/157 Att0rney1ohn G. Mills, in [51] Int. Cl 1321c /06 I Field of Search 15/210 B,

256.6; 242/157; /112; 228/22, 35; 134/9 References Cited ABSTRACT: In abstract, a preferred embodiment of this invention is a fibrous material inserted in a vertical opening of a UNITED STATES PATENTS guide bushing used on a wire-feeding machine to clean the 645,137 3/ 1900 Shultz l5/210 B wire before it enters an associated automatic welding device.

PATENTEUSEPMIHYI 3,604,039

2o HAL F. ALDR\DGE Z2 INVENTOR.

I v L22 z ATTORNEY CLEANING MEANS FOR GUIDE BUSHINGS This invention relates to automatic welding machines and more particularly to guide bushings in the wire-feeding portion of such machines.

In the past, whenever automatic wire-welding equipment was being used for production line-type work, every few days the guide bushings following the wire-feed rolls had to be removed and the flexible wire casing cleaned out due to the flaking of the copper coating on the wire caused by the pressure of the drive wheels. This has been a constant problem encountered not only in wire-feeding devices such as that produced by the Harnischfeger Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also in similar areas where high pressure feed rolls are used in feeding strand like materials.

After much research and study into the above-mentioned problems, applicant has designed an uncomplex and yet efficient self-cleaning guide bushing for removing loose coating flakes and other foreign matter from a moving strand. This anticlog device also cleans and polishes the moving strand as it enters a housing or other confined area.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a self-cleaning strand-type guide bushing which automatically removes coat fragments and other foreign matter from the strand being cleaned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a selfcleaning stand guide bushings which may be readily produced from standard stock guide bushings with a minimum of time and labor involved.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive cleaning means for a strand guide bushing which may be easily replaced and that can be shifted for reuse several times before discard is required.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a selfcleaning means for a strand guide bushing that is long wearing and yet is simple to remove and replace.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of the present invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the drive portion of a typical wire-feeding device for automatic welding machines with the present invention incorporated thereinto;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, top plan view of the improved selfcleaning guide bushing of such invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the improved bushing;

FIG. 4 is a section taken through lines 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a modification, in section, of the present invention.

With further reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 disclosed a typical wire-feeding device indicate generally at for use with an automatic welding machine (not shown). This feeding device has a platform base 11 on which is mounted reel bracket so that a strand of wire 14 can be fed from the wire roll 15 mounted on the reel assembly.

Strand 14 passes through a nylon wire guide 16 and then through a second wire guide 17 and between the wire-feed rolls 18. At least one of these rolls is driven at a predetermined speed by gear motor 21 thus feeding the wire at a predetermined number of inches per minute.

From the feed rolls, the wire 14 passes through nylon guide bushing 19 and into wire cable casing 20. This casing carries the wire onto the automatic welding device (not shown) where the wire is used in the welding process.

Up until now the casing inlet guide bushing 19 behind the feed rolls 18 have been solid in cross section except for the centrally disposed opening through which the wire passes. Since the wire used in wire-welding machines is copper-coated and further since the pressure between the two feed rolls is very great so as to be able to grip the wire properly, flakes or fragments of the copper coating become loose and tend to flake ofl. Many of these flakes or fragments are extremely small and when being only loose but remaining where they originally cracked loose from, they will pass through the snug opening 22 of the guide bushing and either somewhere therein, or in the associated casing, flake off and cause a dragging effect on the wire. When enough of these flakes accumulate in the cable housing and its associated bushing, the entire welding machine must be shut down and the cable casing and bushings cleaned out. This is a laborious job which ordinarily consumes at least 2 hours. This is very costly to the company using the machine since it not only uses the valuable time of skill labor but it also increases overhead because of the inoperative down time of the machine.

To efficiently remove all loose flakes and other foreign matter from the wire before it is fed completely through the guide bushings and into the cable housing, an opening is drilled some distance from the inlet end 23 of such bushing and a fibrous material such as leather or the like is disposed therein. As is clearly seen in both FIGS. 2 and 4, an opening or space is left on both sides of the fibrous or leather material 24. Each of these spaces 25 and 26 are vertically disposed when installed as is evident in the side elevational view shown in FIG. 1.

As the fragment and foreign-matter-laden wire moves into and through guide bushings 19 it passes through the leather or fibrous material 24 which, because of its snugness, flakes off the fragmented coating and other foreign material which by force of gravity falls from space 25 and out of bushing 19. If some of the flakes or foreign matter should be pulled through the fibrous material, they will be very loose when they enter the space 26 and at that point will fall from the bushing through such space.

To even further insure the removal of loose material from the wire passing through the guide bushing, two or more spaced fibrous materials could be provided as seen in FIG. 5. The advantage of this arrangement would be that should some foreign particles get through the first mass of fibrous material the second would remove it.

In actual operation of the machine utilizing the cleaning means of the present invention, once the wire has been threaded through the device as hereinabove described, the gear motor 21 is operated by setting the speed control 28 on the control panel 29 at a predetermined number of inches per minute. The gear motor 21 is then started which rotate the wire-feed rolls 18. As the wire passes through bushing 19, any flaked material caused by the grip of the feed rolls or other foreign matter is removed as set forth above and falls harmlessly from the bushing.

From the foregoing, it is obvious that the present invention has the advantage of preventing clogging of guide bushings and cable housings in a wire feed device of an automatic welding machine over long periods of time thus eliminating frequent stoppages and high labor costs in repair bills. It is also obvious that the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture and can be constructed from the present supply of readily available guide bushings by making only a slight modification to such bushings. The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention. These embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range are intended to be embraced herein.

What is claimed is:

I. In a wire-feeding device used in conjunction with an automatic welding machine, said device having a pair of opposed feed rolls between which the wire being fed passes and a guide bushing adjacent said rollers into which said wire continuously passes, the improvement comprising: a first vertically disposed open space in said bushing passing through the path of travel of said wire; a second vertically disposed open space in said bushing passing through the path of travel of said wire; and a quantity of relatively compact, vertically disposed fibrous material separating said first and said second open spaces and path of travel of said wire; and at least one additional quantity of relatively compact vertically disposed fibrous material separating said second and said additional open space and lying in the path of said wire so that the same passes therethrough whereby further removal of foreign matter may be accomplished. 

1. In a wire-feeding device used in conjunction with an automatic welding machine, said device having a pair of opposed feed rolls between which the wire being fed passes and a guide bushing adjacent said rollers into which said wire continuously passes, the improvement comprising: a first vertically disposed open space in said bushing passing through the path of travel of said wire; a second vertically disposed open space in said bushing passing through the path of travel of said wire; and a quantity of relatively compact, vertically disposed fibrous material separating said first and said second open spaces and lying in the path of said wire so that the same passes therethrough whereby loose metal and other foreign matter may be removed from said wire and disposed of by falling through the vertically disposed spaces.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the fibrous material is leather.
 3. The device of claim 1 including at least one additional vertically disposed open space in said bushing through the path of travel of said wire; and at least one additional quantity of relatively compact vertically disposed fibrous material separating said second and said additional open space and lying in the path of said wire so that the same passes therethrough whereby further removal of foreign matter may be accomplished. 